Nearly half of jobs in the North West ‘insecure’

No matter which sector you chose, your job may not be secure, say union bosses

Published:13:21Wednesday 15 March 2017

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Nearly half of jobs created in the North West since 2011 have been in insecure work, according to new analysis published by the TUC today.

The analysis shows that between 2011 and 2016 employment in the region grew by 197,503. And that 93,517 of these were in insecure jobs – work without guaranteed hours or baseline employment rights.

But if you don’t how much work you will have from one day to the next, making ends meet can be nightmare.

The TUC estimates that there are now 339,608 people now work in insecure jobs in the region – up from 246,091 in 2011. That represents 1 in 10 workers in the North West.

The TUC says this is being driven mainly by traditional industries – such as education, restaurant work and residential social care – rather than newer sectors.

The study, commissioned by the TUC from the Learning and Work Institute, defines insecure work as seasonal, casual, temporary or agency work, those on zero-hours contracts and low-paid self-employed workers.

The TUC says these contract types leave working people in the position where:

Their wages can fluctuate without warning; they find it hard to get their basic employment rights respected ; they miss out on key protections like sick pay.

The TUC is today launching a new initiative for workers in the North West to share their experiences of insecure work anonymously.

The TUC estimates that the rise in insecure work since 2006 is costing the UK exchequer £4bn year, with the government collecting billions less in tax revenues.

TUC Regional Secretary for the North West Lynn Collins said: “Insecure working in the North West has shot up in recent years. People need jobs they can live on. But if you don’t how much work you will have from one day to the next, making ends meet can be nightmare.